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Contract for the Provision of Drug, Alcohol and DNA Testing Services

City & County of Swansea

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

28 Aug 2026 at 13:03

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

City & County of Swansea intends to procure specialist drug, alcohol and DNA testing services. The requirement is being developed alongside the service specification, contracting process and commercial model, with the aim of understanding suitable delivery models and the capacity of the market. Services will be delivered for Swansea Council in Swansea, Wales. The main work is medical laboratory testing, classified under CPV 85145000, covering the provision and processing of drug, alcohol and DNA tests. This is a public-sector service requirement under the light-touch regime. The council is seeking views from organisations interested in providing these specialist testing services before deciding whether and how to proceed with a future competitive procurement.

This process is at the planning stage and is not an invitation to tender. Swansea Council expects to publish a subsequent notice on 6 November 2026, subject to its decision to proceed. It has planned a market engagement questionnaire, with responses requested by 12:00 noon on 11 September 2026; participation will not be mandatory for any future procurement. The proposed procurement has one lot and an indicative gross value of £420,000, including £350,000 excluding tax. The proposed contract would run from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2028, with renewal options extending the maximum period to 31 December 2031. The lot is currently classified as planning.

The engagement will suit organisations already delivering specialist drug, alcohol and DNA testing services, particularly medical laboratories and providers with the technical systems, qualified personnel and operational processes needed to collect, handle, analyse and report test samples. Businesses with experience supporting public authorities, regulated services or evidential testing may be well placed to respond to the council’s questions about feasible delivery models and market capacity. The council has expressly identified the requirement as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises, so participation is not limited to large commercial laboratories. Interested suppliers can use the engagement to explain their service model, capacity, geographic coverage, quality arrangements and practical requirements before any future competition is designed.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Contract for the Provision of Drug, Alcohol and DNA Testing Services

Notice Description

Swansea Council is currently developing their service specification, contracting process and commercial model for the Provision of Drug, Alcohol and DNA Testing Services. This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) seeks the views and opinions of those organisations that may be interested in delivering these specialist services. The exercise will be used to test the feasibility of Swansea Council's indicative proposals, explore potential delivery models, and understand market capacity and appetite ahead of any possible future procurements.

Planning Information

Swansea Council has created an Market Engagement Questionnaire (MEQ) which seeks the views and opinions of those organisations that may be interested in delivering the services. The Market Engagement Questionnaire (MEQ) can be completed using the following Microsoft Forms Link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/ZbGAni6Lhx Please copy and paste the above link into your internet search bar to access (as this notice does not recognise embedded links) Please submit your completed MEQ by no later than 12:00 noon on the 11th September 2026. Participation in this engagement exercise is not a mandatory requirement for participating in any potential future procurement; however, responses received will assist to inform Swansea Council as to the level of interest from the market and will be used to evidence a decision as to how to undertake a competitive procurement. This notice is not a call for competition. Swansea Council reserves the right to withdraw from undertaking a tender process at any point.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ee82
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082172-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

85 - Health and social work services

CPV Codes

85145000 - Services provided by medical laboratories

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£350,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Aug 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
6 Nov 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Jan 2027 - 31 Dec 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
City & County of Swansea
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWANSEA
Postcode
SA1 3SN
Postcode Area
Swansea
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL4 Mid and South West Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL43 Swansea
Delivery Location
TLL18 Swansea
Local Authority
Swansea
Electoral Ward
Waterfront
Westminster Constituency
Swansea West

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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